Issue 8, 2020

An overview and update on the epidemiology of flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease risk

Abstract

There is an accumulating body of literature reporting on dietary flavonoid intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in prospective cohort studies. This makes apparent the need for an overview and update on the current state of the science. To date, at least 27 prospective cohorts (in 44 publications) have evaluated the association between estimated habitual flavonoid intake and CVD risk. At this time, the totality of evidence suggests long-term consumption of flavonoid-rich foods may be associated with a lower risk of fatal and non-fatal ischemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease, and total CVD; disease outcomes which are principally, though not exclusively, composed of cases of atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD). To date, few studies have investigated outcome specific ASCVD, such as peripheral artery disease (PAD) or ischemic stroke. Of the flavonoid subclasses investigated, evidence more often implicates diets rich in anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, and flavonols in lowering the risk of CVD. Although inferences are restricted by confounding and other inherent limitations of observational studies, causality appears possible based on biological plausibility, temporality, and the relative consistency of the reported associations. However, whether the associations observed represent a benefit of the isolated bioactives per se, or are a signal of the bioactives acting in concert with the co-occurring nutrient matrix within flavonoid-bearing foods, are issues of consideration. Thus, the simple interpretation, and the one most relevant for dietary advice, is that consumption of flavonoid-rich foods or diets higher in flavonoids, appear nutritionally beneficial in the prevention of CVD.

Graphical abstract: An overview and update on the epidemiology of flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease risk

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
30 Apr 2020
Accepted
02 Jul 2020
First published
29 Jul 2020

Food Funct., 2020,11, 6777-6806

An overview and update on the epidemiology of flavonoid intake and cardiovascular disease risk

B. H. Parmenter, K. D. Croft, J. M. Hodgson, F. Dalgaard, C. P. Bondonno, J. R. Lewis, A. Cassidy, A. Scalbert and N. P. Bondonno, Food Funct., 2020, 11, 6777 DOI: 10.1039/D0FO01118E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements